Use a table for layout but also set a one outer most table as a container, this will act like your body tag. You must also style each and every element inline.
it's a pain in the butt but most email clients won't accept any kind of css, in the head or external.

So most container tables would be set <table height="100%" width="100%" style="height:100%; width:100%; background-color: white;" >

*Sidenote don't use shorthand CSS properties, ex use #FFFFFF not #FFF.